Ride-on vehicles for children have become increasingly popular due in part to the desire of children to drive self-propelled vehicles resembling full-size vehicles. Such ride-on vehicles, or ride-ons, are typically propelled by battery-powered motors and generally include scaled-down features of full-size vehicles.
One challenge in designing reduced-scale vehicles is to make the vehicle resemble a full-size vehicle, while still providing a vehicle that is safe for use by children. When a ride-on is designed to resemble a four-wheeled vehicle, such as a car or truck, the corresponding ride-on tends to also have four wheels. When a ride-on is designed to resemble a motorcycle, however, a balance must be reached between safety and the accuracy of the reproduction. Certainly the most accurate reproduction is for the ride-on to only have two wheels. However, children may not have the size, strength or coordination to balance a two-wheeled ride-on, especially when propelled by the ride-on's motor. Adding additional wheels to the ride-on detracts from the accuracy of the reproduction, and thus may reduce the child's desire for the ride-on.
The invented ride-on, or ride-on vehicle, includes a frame having a seat adapted to support a child, and a drive assembly with a battery-powered motor assembly. The ride-on vehicle further includes one or more steerable wheels and one or more driven wheels. In some embodiments, the ride-on vehicle includes a biasing assembly that is connected to the frame and adapted to bias the seat away from the vehicle's driven wheels. In some embodiments, the ride-on vehicle includes a free-floating wheel, which is unbiased and travels within a defined range of positions with respect to the ride-on vehicle's frame as external forces are imparted to the wheel. In some embodiments, the ride-on vehicle includes a high-speed switch positioned for momentary high-speed operation of the ride-on vehicle and a user-manipulable portion may be provided to enable a child to select such a high-speed configuration.
In some examples, children's ride-on vehicles may include a drive assembly. Drive assemblies for children's ride-on vehicles may include a motor assembly, a battery assembly, and an electrical circuit. The motor assembly may include at least one motor having a rotatable output shaft. The battery assembly may be configured to provide power to the motor assembly, and the battery assembly may include at least one battery. The electrical circuit may couple the battery assembly to the motor assembly. The electrical circuit may have a first configuration, in which the output shaft rotates at a first speed, and a second configuration, in which the output shaft rotates at a second speed. The electrical circuit may include a circuit-configuring switch and a speed-changing switch. The circuit-configuring switch may have a first operating state, in which the electrical circuit is configured in the first configuration, and a second operating state, in which the electrical circuit is configured in the second configuration. The speed-changing switch may be coupled to the circuit-configuring switch and operable for changing the operating state of the circuit-configuring switch.
In some examples, children's ride-on vehicles may include a body and a seat sized to receive a child; a plurality of wheels, which may include at least one driven wheel and at least one steerable wheel; a steering assembly, which may be coupled to the at least one steerable wheel; a motor assembly including at least one motor having a rotatable output shaft; a battery assembly configured to provide power to the motor assembly; and an electrical circuit coupling the motor assembly and the battery assembly. The at least one driven wheel may be operatively coupled to the output shaft, and the battery assembly may include at least one battery. The electrical circuit may include a circuit-configuring switch assembly and a speed-changing switch. The circuit-configuring switch assembly may include at least one circuit-configuring switch, which may have a first operating state, in which the circuit-configuring switch at least partially configures the electrical circuit such that the motor assembly rotates the output shaft at a first speed, and a second operating state, in which the circuit-configuring switch at least partially configures the electrical circuit such that the motor assembly rotates the output shaft at a second speed greater than the first speed. The circuit-configuring switch may include a biasing mechanism configured to bias the circuit-configuring switch toward the first operating state. The speed-changing switch may have a first speed-changing operating state, in which the speed-changing switch configures the circuit-configuring switch into the first operating state, and a second speed-changing operating state, in which the speed-changing switch configures the circuit-configuring switch into the second operating state.
In some examples, children's ride-on vehicles may include a body having a seat sized to receive a child; a plurality of wheels, which may include a driven wheel and a steerable wheel; a steering assembly, which may be coupled to the steerable wheel; a motor assembly, which may include a pair of motors, each of which may have a rotatable output shaft; a battery assembly configured to provide power to the motor assembly; and an electrical circuit coupling the motor assembly and the battery assembly. The battery assembly may include at least one battery. The driven wheel may be operatively coupled to the rotatable output shaft of at least one of the pair of motors. The electrical circuit may include a circuit-configuring switch assembly, a speed-changing switch, and a power switch. The circuit-configuring switch assembly may include at least one circuit-configuring switch, which may have a first operating state, in which the circuit-configuring switch at least partially configures the electrical circuit such that the pair of motors are connected in series, and a second operating state, in which the circuit-configuring switch at least partially configures the electrical circuit such that the pair of motors are connected in parallel. The circuit-configuring switch may include a relay and a biasing mechanism, which may be configured to bias the circuit-configuring switch toward the first operating state. The speed-changing switch may have a first speed-changing operating state, in which the speed-changing switch may configure the circuit-configuring switch into the first operating state, and a second speed-changing operating state, in which the speed-changing switch may be configured to deliver current to the relay to configure the circuit-configuring switch into the second operating state. The power switch may have a first power operating state, in which the electrical circuit is completed, and a second power operating state, in which the electrical circuit is not completed.